Garage doors are the largest and heaviest moving part of most homes. While you may think of it as a door and an opener, there are many components to the “system” that is your garage door.

Doors can be either sectional (rolling) or single piece (swing out). Most doors today are opened and closed by electronic openers. Springs, cables and other hardware counterbalance the door’s weight and assist in lifting and closing the door. The garage door moves up and down via rollers on metal tracks.

Your garage door system includes tight tolerances to keep it operating properly.

Some things everyone in your family should know about your garage door:

The springs, cables and other hardware attached to the springs are all under extremely high tension that can cause severe injury or even death if broken or tampered with.

Doors equipped with openers utilize electricity, which can shock or kill if mishandled.

Door sections can trap and injure fingers or hands when opening or closing.

The video below provides an overview of your garage door’s operation. It will show you a few simple maintenance procedures that you can perform, such as door lubrication and adjustment of the photo electric sensors that visually “know” when an object is blocking the path of a closing door.